Materials and Structural

Principles (MS400)
Welcome to Materials and Structural Principles
(MS400)
Team exercise

 Two reasons why you have chosen

Quantity Surveying as a Profession
 Lecture outline
 Course outline
 Introduction to Construction Building Materials
 Properties of materials
 Physical Properties
 Mechanical Properties
 Chemical Properties
 Thermal Properties
 Characteristic Behaviour under Stress
Aim

To enable students to gain the knowledge, skills

and understanding of structural principles and
the properties of materials and finishes
applicable to small building projects.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1 Define the characteristics, properties and performance of materials and finishes

2 Select materials and finishes for building projects

3 Recognise structural principles and loading of building elements

Assessment plan

Serial Assessment Course Learning Submission

Number weightage outcomes Method
covered
1 Test 40% 1,2,3 -

2 Assignment 60% 2,3 Turnitin

 Topics to Cover
 Principal Properties of Construction
Building Materials.
 Physical Properties
 Mechanical Properties
 Characteristic Behaviour under Stress

 Types of Building Materials:

 Manufacturing Process of Construction
Building Materials
 Application and Installation of Construction
Building Materials.
 Basic Structural Theory and Concepts
 Introduction to Loads and Structure
 Types of Load
 Types of Support
 Section Properties of a Common Structural Shapes
 Basic Theory of Equilibrium
 Resultant and Equilibrant
 Topics to Cover
 Structural Design
 Introduction to Structural Design
 Factors to be considered in Simple Timber and Steel
 Beam Design
 Singly Reinforced Concrete Beam Design
 Axially Loaded Short Braced Column
 Recommended text
 Allen, E. (2014). Fundamentals of Building Construction:
Methods and Materials (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley &
Sons.
 Chudley, R. (2005). Construction Technology (4th ed.).
London: Longman
 Chudley, R. (2000). Advanced Construction Technology (3rd
ed.). London: Longman
 Domone, P. and Illston, J. (2010). Construction
Materials: Their Nature and Behaviour. Spon Press
 Gauld, Bryan J. B. (1994). Structures for Architects. London:
Longman.
 Hanaor, A. (1998). Principles of Structures. London:
Blackwell Science Ltd.
 Pringle, T. (2012). Building Basics: Steel Framing. Buiding
Research Association of NZ (BRANZ).
 Duggal, S. K. (2003). Building Materials (2nd ed.). New
Delhi: New Age International Publishers.
Course expectations
 100% attendance is recommended
 Inform Administrative Staff and/or your Tutor prior to class
if you are unable to attend
 Students are expected to come on time and finish the class
based on the schedule
 Contributions to class discussion and participation in
activities are expected (responsible for their own learning)
 Students are expected to hand in assignment on or before
their respective due dates.
 Submission of the assignment is through the Moodle
 Students should read all the necessary course materials in
the Moodle
Class expectations
 Treat other class members, other students,
campus staff and visitors with respect and
tolerance, both in and out of the classroom
 Support and inclusion should be practised
 Students are expected to turn cell phones off
or make silent
 Attention to and participation in class lectures
and activities is expected at all times
Plagiarism

 Plagiarism is the inclusion in your assignment of

material copied or closely paraphrased from
someone else's writings (including websites,
textbooks and assignments by other students)
without an explicit indication of the source of the
material
 Check course outline for the penalties for
plagiarism
 Late assignment policy
 All assignments must be handed in by the due date. An
assignment handed in after the due date will incur a
penalty unless:
 Your performance has been affected by factors beyond
your control, such as illness, injury, childbirth or
bereavement (with written proof supplied)
 The tutor has agreed to extend the time for completion of
the assignment
 An assignment handed in late, where an extension of time
has not been granted by the tutor, will incur a penalty of
10% of your total marks for that assignment for each day
NorthTec is open after the due date.
 An extension must be applied for in writing at least 24
hours (on a week day) prior to the assessment due date
Introduction to Construction Building
Materials and the Principal Properties of
Building Materials
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lecture, students should be able to:

1 Explain the application of building materials in construction projects

2 Define the properties (physical, mechanical, chemistry and thermal) of building materials

3 Identify the characteristics behavior of materials under stress

Introduction to Construction
Building Materials
 Building materials are any material which is used for a construction purpose.

 Classified into 2 groups:

Natural Materials – Examples???
Man-made Materials – Examples???
Principal Properties of Construction
Building Materials
 For a material to be considered as building material, it should have
required engineering properties suitable for construction works.

 These properties are responsible for its quality and capacity and
helps to decide applications of these material.

Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Chemical Properties
Thermal Properties
Characteristic Behaviour under Stress
Physical Properties of Building
Materials
 These are the properties required to estimate the quality and
condition of the material (without external forces).

 The physical properties of building materials are as follow:

Bulk Density Weathering Resistance

Porosity Spalling Resistance
Durability Water Absorption
Density Water Permeability
Density Index Hygroscopicity
Fire Resistance Coefficient of Softening
Frost Resistance Refractoriness
Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Bulk Density of Building Materials

 The ratio of mass to the volume of the material in its natural state that is including voids
and pores. Bulk density influences the mechanical properties of materials like strength,
heat and conductivity.

 Examples of bulk density values of building materials are shown below:

 Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Porosity of Building Materials

 Porosity gives the volume of the material occupied by pores.

 The ratio of volume of pores to the volume of material.

 Porosity influences many properties like surface area, thermal conductivity, strength, bulk
density, durability

Metal Foam Ceramic Block Biochar Image by Oisik Das (UoA)

 Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Durability of Building Materials

 The property of a material to withstand against the combined action of atmospheric and
other factors.

 If the material is more durable, it will be useful for longer life - maintenance cost of material
is dependent of durability.

Steel Concrete Bricks Timber

 Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Density of Building Materials

 Density is the ratio of mass of the material to its volume in homogeneous state.

 Almost all the physical properties of materials are influenced by its density values.

 The density values of some building materials are given below.

 Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Density Index

 Ratio of bulk density of material to its density is termed as density index.

 Hence it gives the volume of solid matter in the material.

 In nature, it is impossible to achieve fully dense material - density index is always less than
1 for any building material.
 Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Specific Gravity of Building Materials

 Specific gravity is the ratio of mass of given substance to the mass of water at 4oC for the
equal volumes.

 Examples of specific gravity values are as shown in the table below:

Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Fire Resistance of Building Materials

 The ability to withstand against fire without changing its shape and other properties.

 Fire resistance of a material is tested by the combined actions of water and fire.

 Fireproof materials should provide more safety in case of fire.

 Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Frost Resistance

 The ability of a material to resist freezing or thawing is called frost resistance.

 It depends upon the density and bulk density of material.

 Denser materials will have more frost resistance.

 Moist material have low frost resistance and they lose their strength in freezing and
become brittle.

Frost Resistance for Ceramic Tile

Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Weathering Resistance

 The property of a material to withstand against all atmospheric actions without losing its
strength and shape. Weathering affects the durability of material.

 For example corrosion occurs in iron due to weathering.

 To resist this paint layer is provided.

Sound Walls in Melbourne’s Freeway

Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Spalling Resistance

 The ability of a material to undergo certain number of cycles of sharp temperature

variations without failing is known as spalling resistance.

 It is the dependent of coefficient of linear expansion.

Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Water Absorption

 The capacity of a material to absorb and retain water in it is known as water absorption.

 It is expressed in % of weight of dry material.

 It depends up on the size, shape and number of pores of material

Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Water Permeability

 The ability of a material to permit water through it is called water permeability.

 Dense materials like glass metals etc. are called impervious materials which cannot allow
water through it.

Understanding Permeability
Physical Properties (cont’d)
 Hygroscopicity

 Hygroscopicity is the property of a material to absorb water vapour from the air.

 It depends on the relative humidity, porosity, air temperature etc.

Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Coefficient of Softening

 Coefficient of softening of a material is the ration of compressive strength of a saturated
material to its compressive strength in dry state.

 It affects the strength of water absorbent materials like soil.

 Physical Properties (cont’d)

 Refractoriness

 The property of a material which cannot melts or lose its shape at prolonged high
temperatures (1600oC or more).

 Example: Fire clay (alumina and silica) is a high refractory material.

Fire Clay Fire Brick

Mechanical Properties of
Building Materials
 Mechanical properties of the materials are find out by applying
external forces on them.

 These are very important properties which are responsible for

behaviour of a material in its job.

 The mechanical properties are:

Strength Fatigue
Hardness Impact Strength
Elasticity Abrasion Resistance
Plasticity Creep
Brittleness
Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Strength of Building Materials

 The capacity of a material to resist failure caused by loads acting on it is

called as strength.

 The load may be compressive, tensile or bending.

 It is determined by dividing the ultimate load taken by the material with its
cross sectional area.

 Strength is an important property for any construction materials.

 To provide maximum safety in strength, factor of safety is provided for

materials and it is selected depending on nature of work, quality of material,
economic conditions etc.
Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Hardness of Building Materials

 The property of a materials to resist scratching by a harder body.

 MOHS scale is used to determine the hardness of a materials.

 Hardness is most important to decide the usage of particular aggregate.

 It also influences the workability.

 Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Elasticity of Building Materials

 The capacity of a material to regain its initial shape and size after removal
of load is known as elasticity and the material is called as elastic material.

 Ideally elastic materials obey Hooke’s law in which stress is directly

proportional to strain.

 Which gives modulus of elasticity as the ratio of unit stress to unit

deformation.

 Higher the value of modulus of elasticity lower the deformations.

Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Plasticity

 When the load is applied on the material, if it will undergo permanent

deformation without cracking and retain this shape after the removal of load
then it is said to be plastic material and this property is called as plasticity.

 They give resistance against bending, impact etc.

 Examples: steel, hot bitumen

Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Brittleness

 When the material is subjected to load, if it fails suddenly without causing

any deformation then it is called brittle material and this property is called
brittleness.

 Examples: concrete, cast-iron etc.

Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Fatigue

 If a material is subjected to repeated loads, then the failure occurs at some

point which is lower than the failure point caused by steady loads.

 This behaviour is known as fatigue.

Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Impact Strength
 If a material is subjected to sudden loads and it will undergo some
deformation without causing rupture is known as its impact strength.

 It designates the toughness of material.

Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Abrasion Resistance

 The loss of material due to rubbing of particles while working is called abrasion.

 The abrasion resistance for a material makes it durable and provided long life.
Mechanical Properties (cont’d)
 Creep

 Creep the deformation caused by constant loads for long periods.

 It is time dependent and occurs at very slow rate.

 It is almost negligible in normal conditions.

 But at high temperature conditions creep occur rapidly.

 Chemical Properties of Building
Materials
 The properties of materials against the chemical action
or chemical combinations are termed as chemical
properties.

 The chemical properties are:

Chemical Resistance
Corrosion Resistance
Chemical Properties (cont’d)
 Chemical Resistance of Building Materials

 The ability of a construction materials to resist the effects by chemicals like

acids, salts and alkalis is known as chemical resistance.

 Underground installations, constructions near sea etc. should be built with

great chemical resistance.
Chemical Properties (cont’d)
 Corrosion Resistance

 Formation of rust (iron oxide) in metals, when they are subjected to atmosphere is called
corrosion.

 Metals should be corrosive resistant.

 To increase the corrosion resistance proper measures should be considered.

Rust Formation Rusty Chain Rusty Staircase

Thermal Properties of Building
Materials

 Every material used in an envelope assembly has fundamental physical properties that
determine their energy performance like conductivity, resistance, and thermal mass.

 Thermal properties determine how material reacts when it is subjected to excessive heat or
heat fluctuations over time.

 The thermal properties are:

 Thermal Capacity
 Thermal Conductivity
 Thermal Resistivity
 Specific Heat
Thermal Properties (cont’d)

 Thermal Capacity

 Thermal capacity is the property of a material to absorb heat and it is required to design
proper ventilation.

 It influences the thermal stability of walls and expressed in J/N oC

 It is calculated by below formula.

Thermal capacity, T = [H/(M(T2 – T1))]

Where H = quantity of heat required to increase the temperature from T1 to T2

T1 = Initial temperature
T2 = Final temperature
M = Mass of material in N.
Thermal Properties (cont’d)

 Thermal Conductivity

 The amount of heat transferred through unit area of specimen with unit thickness in unit
time is termed as thermal conductivity.

 It is measured in Kelvins.

 It depends on material structure, porosity, density and moisture content.

 High porous materials, moist materials have more thermal conductivity.

Thermal Properties (cont’d)
 Thermal Resistivity

 It is the ability to resist heat conduction and the reciprocal of thermal conductivity.

 When it is multiplied by thickness of material it gives thermal resistance.

 Thermal resistivity of soil varies from 30 to 500 0C-cm/W.

Thermal Properties (cont’d)

 Specific Heat

 Specific heat is the quantity of heat required to heat 1 N of material by 1oC.

 Specific heat is useful when the materials is used in high temperature areas.

 Specific heat values of some building materials are as follow:

Material Behaviour Under Stress
Material Behaviour Under Stress

Strain= Deformation in terms of relative displacement of particles in a material

Stress= Internal forces that neighbouring particles of a material exert on each other

Or

The average of intermolecular forces/collision between the particles of a material.

Note: Stress vs strain curve of the same material might vary upon the following:

Temperature of the sample

Speed of loading (e.g. 5 mm/min)
Material Behaviour under Stress
(cont’d)

1= Ultimate strength
2= Yield strength
3= Elastic behaviour
4= Plastic behaviour
5= Rapture

Stress= F/A (N/m2 or Pa)

Young’s modulus= Rise/run= slope

Strain hardening= Enhancement of strength of material by plastic deformation

Necking region= Local cross section smaller than original
For brittle materials: Ultimate strength = Yield strength
Question time!!! 59